Reading
John 10:1-10
10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Comment
The allegorical image of the good shepherd is frequent in the Old Testament to represent God (Ex 34; Gn 48:15; 49:24; Mic 7:14; Ps 23:1-4; 80:1). The New Testament also frequently uses the image of the sheep and the shepherd. Jesus, seeing the crowds that followed him around the villages, "had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Mt 9:36). On the occasion of the first multiplication of the loaves, "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd" (Mk 6:34). Announcing his passion he will say "'You will all fall away, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered'" (Mk 14:27). To represent the joy in heaven for the converted sinner, he announces the parable of the lost and found sheep (Lk 15: 1-7). Peter speaks of Christ as the "Shepherd and Overseer of your souls" (1 Pt 2:25) and defines him as "the Chief Shepherd" from whom we will receive the crown of glory that does not wither (1 Pt 5:4). The letter to the Hebrews also calls Jesus "the great Shepherd of the sheep" whom the God of peace brought back from the dead by virtue of the blood of an eternal covenant (Heb 13:20).
It is no coincidence, then, that this image is the most widespread in early Christian iconography.
The good shepherd treats the sheep not simply as a flock, but he calls each one by name. Calling us by his name indicates a personal relationship with us. The world is full of thieves and brigands who do not call us by name but treat us only as a bargaining chips. Others then completely forget about us: it is the experience of loneliness, when no one calls us anymore, seeks us, or desires us.
But the good shepherd, Jesus, does not forget us and does not leave us locked in the enclosure, but he leads us towards green pastures and quiet waters (Ps 23:2). Faith is not a cage, but the discovery of new paths, sudden glimpses, and vast horizons, in a relationship of love and trust with the one who guides us.
Unlike the Far Eastern shepherds who led the flock also using dogs, Middle Eastern shepherds used only their own voices. The image thus becomes an example of the intimate relationship between disciple and teacher.
Often the Middle Eastern shepherds slept at the door of the fold, so Jesus presents himself not only as the shepherd who leads the sheep to pasture but also as the door that guards the flock.
The enclosure of the sheepfold consisted of masonry with no cover. The term aulè generally indicates in the Greek Bible of the Seventy the vestibule in front of the tabernacle of the temple.
As the door of the sheepfold, Jesus is, therefore, the true Messiah through which to access eternal life, before him many false prophets came - and many will come even until his return - but the sheep do not listen to their voice. Whoever is called by name by Christ has the ability to discern the way that leads to salvation. His voice resounds in the Scriptures and in them we have the parameter to verify whether those who propose themselves as pastors guided by the Spirit are really such.
The term kalós, "good", does not simply indicate someone capable of doing something, but a noble person. Unlike the mercenaries, who flee from danger, Jesus gives his life for his sheep. He truly gave his life, not just figuratively. He took care of the "sheep" that the Father had entrusted to him by exposing himself to death in his passion and redeeming the entire "flock".
With his resurrection, he opened the way for us to the sacred enclosure of the heavenly Jerusalem. His voice resounds in the words of life that he has left us and through the Spirit that he has given us.
Prayer
O Lord, you do not stop calling us by name and guiding us with your grace; grant us to persevere on the right path, to reach your kingdom and delight in your presence. Amen.
- Rev. Dr. Luca Vona
